In the borderlands of transatlantic security – where next?
Security in our daily lives is key to our wellbeing. NATO’s purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. Over more than 70 years NATO has grown to an alliance of 31 members. The recent NATO Summit in Vilnius has been hailed as an historic moment for the future of Europe and the North Atlantic area. What is NATO, what does it do, and what role does it play in rural areas? Jessica Sellick investigates. ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
What is NATO? The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was formed in 1949 with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington. The treaty created an alliance of 10 European and 2 North American states: UK, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States. It was formed to ensure their collective security and preservation and intended to counter the perceived threat from the then Soviet Union.
Since then, 19 more countries have joined NATO through 9 rounds of enlargement (in 1952, 1955, 1982, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2017, 2020 and 2023) leading to 31 members. The treaty itself is short – containing just 14 articles. These commit members to share the risk, responsibilities and benefits of collective defence. Article 5 states that an armed attack against one shall be considered an attack against them all. It commits allies to assist the party or parties attacked “such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area”. Article 6 sets out the geographical boundaries of NATO – currently Europe and North America and in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer. Article 5 was involved for the first time the day after the 11 September 2001 attacks in America. This saw NATO actively engage in the fight against terrorism, and launch its first operations out the Euro-Atlantic area.
The articles embody a set of values around individual liberty, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. They also require members not to enter into any international commitments that conflict with the treaty and that they commit to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations (UN). The treaty provides the structure which enables the goals of NATO to be implemented – although some accession protocols have been added as new members have joined, very little has changed.
What is NATO’s Strategic Concept? This is the official statement of NATO’s values and purpose and its fundamental tasks and roles. Alongside the treaty, the Strategic Concept is viewed as an important document.
The concept provides an assessment of the international security environment, and the Alliance’s approach to addressing the issues and challenges that it faces. At its summit in Madrid in June 2022, NATO adopted a new Strategic Concept. This reaffirms NATO’s key purpose in ensuring collective defence, based on a 360-degree approach. It defines the Alliance’s three core tasks: (i) deterrence and defence, (ii) crisis prevention and management, and (iii) cooperative security. The Strategic Concept emphasises that ensuring national and collective resilience is critical to all of these core tasks and underpins NATO’s efforts to safeguard nations, societies and shared values. It further emphasises the importance of investing in technological innovation and integrating climate change, human security, and the women, peace and security agenda across these core tasks. A vision is set out in the Strategic Concept: “we want to live in a world where sovereignty, territorial integrity, human rights and international law are respective and where each country can choose its own path, free from aggression, coercion or subversion. We work with all who share these goals. We stand together, as Allies, to defend our freedom and contribute to a more peaceful world” (page 3).
How do countries join NATO – and can they leave? Greece and Turkey were the first to join the founding 12 members in 1952, followed by Germany in 1955. Spain joined in 1982. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland subsequently became members in 1999. 2004 saw the accession of 7 countries: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Albania and Croatia joined in 2009, followed by Montenegro in 2017 and the Republic of North Macedonia in 2020. Finland became the latest member, joining in April 2023.
Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty sets out how countries can join the Alliance. This states that NATO membership is open to “any other European state in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area”. Any decision to invite a country to join the Alliance is taken by the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s political decision-making body, on the basis of consensus among all Allies.
The accession process involves seven steps:
- Accession talks confirm the invited countries willingness and ability to meet the political, legal and military obligations and commitments of NATO membership.
- The aspiring country’s foreign minister sends a letter of intent to the NATO Secretary General formally accepting the obligations and commitments of membership, and a timetable for the completion of any require reforms (where applicable).
- An Accession Protocol is signed by all NATO members.
- The Protocol is then ratified by each individual member.
- Once all member countries have notified the US Government [the depositary of the treaty] of their acceptance, the Secretary General then invites the potential new member to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty.
- The invited country accedes to the North Atlantic Treaty in accordance with their national procedures.
- Upon depositing their instruments of accession with the US Government, the invited country formally becomes a member of NATO.
In practice, the accession process can often take several years. Bosnia and Herzegovina is participating in the Membership Action Plan (MAP). This was launched in 1999 to help aspiring countries prepare for future membership. A map is prepared with each prospective county looking at their political, legal, military, defence and security aspects and identifies any areas in need of reform. Notwithstanding this, Finland submitted its letter to join NATO on 18 May 2022 and it deposited its instrument of accession on 4 April 2023. Sweden is expected to become the 32nd Member once Turkey has ratified the Accession Protocol for Sweden.
Article 13 of the treaty gives Allies the right to leave NATO should they wish to do so: “any Party may cease to be a Party one year after its notice of denunciation has been given”. So far, no country has left NATO. However, in 1966, France decided to withdraw from NATO’s integrated military structure (returning again in 2009) but it remained a member of NATO.
How is NATO run? Major decisions are approved by heads of governments and at state summits that take place every 1-2 years. In between summits, the foreign and defence ministers of Allies meet regularly. The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the principal political decision-making body at NATO and each member country has a seat on the Council. It normally meets weekly and is chaired by the Secretary General. The top military post within NATO is the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).
In 1955 NATO formed the Parliamentary Assembly. On 18 July 1955, 158 parliamentarians from 14 NATO nations attended a six-day ‘Conference of Members of Parliament from the NATO Countries’ meeting in Paris. In 1966 delegates agreed to rename the organisation the ‘North Atlantic Assembly’. In 1999 it was renamed again to ‘NATO Parliamentary Assembly’ (PA).
The NATO PA provides a forum for parliamentarians from NATO Member States to promote debate on key security challenges, facilitate mutual understanding, and support national parliamentary oversight of defence matters. It is seen as a platform for strengthening the transatlantic relationship and the values which underpin the Alliance. The PA is institutionally separate from NATO, but it serves as an essential link between NATO and the parliaments of NATO nations.
Since the end of the Cold War, the Assembly has assumed a new role by integrating into its work parliamentarians from countries seeking a closer association with NATO. Through this form of parliamentary diplomacy, the Assembly contributes to mutual understanding and to the strengthening of parliamentary democracy throughout the Euro-Atlantic region and beyond, thereby complementing and reinforcing NATO’s own programme of partnership and cooperation.
The NATO PA consists of 274 delegates from the 31 NATO Member States. Each delegation is based on the country’s size and the UK has 18 seats in the Assembly. The whole Assembly meets twice a year: in the spring and in the autumn. It has a Standing Committee comprising the head of each member delegation, the President and Vice President of NATO PA, the Treasurer and the Secretary General. The Assembly also has five committees: (i) democracy and security, (ii) defence and security, (iii) economics and security, (iv) political, and (v) science and technology. They are supported by sub-committees which can explore policy issues in more detail. The Secretary General leads the International Secretariat, and is responsible for all of the Assembly’s administration, research and analysis.
How is NATO funded? NATO is resourced through the direct and indirect contributions of its members. Direct contributions are made to collective budgets and programmes on an agreed cost-share formula, based on Gross National Income. This equates to EUR 3.3 billion in 2023 and is used to run the entire organisation and its military commands. NATO has three principal common-funded budgets: the civil budget, for NATO headquarters; (ii) the military budget, for the NATO command structure; and (iii) the security investment programme – for military infrastructure and capabilities. The North Atlantic Council oversees this common funding process, supported by the Resource Policy and Planning Board, the Budget Committee and the Investment Committee. NATO does not have its own armed forces so when the North Atlantic Council unanimously decides to engage in an operation or mission, Allies commit troops, equipment and support on a voluntary basis. Each member covers the costs associated with their deployments.
In 2006, NATO defence ministers agreed to commit, or work towards committing, a minimum of 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defence spending to continue to ensure the Alliance’s military readiness. NATO publishes an annual compendium of financial, personnel and economic data for all member countries. This includes identifying which countries have reached or surpassed this 2% target. The UK has consistently spent more than 2% of GDP on defence.
What role does NATO have in rural areas? Much of the defence estate of NATO Members is found in rural areas – this is because of the space required to carry out defence activities such as training soldiers or landing aircraft. Military bases have wider socio-economic impacts on policy areas such as schools, housing, skills, employment, transport and demand on services. Military sites can also be used to deliver environmental goals. Yet the role the military play in rural areas and its implications are not fully understood or discussed. There is an opportunity to consider what this military presence means (or might mean) for rural communities for individual Members and for the Alliance overall.
Where next?On 11 and 12 July 2023 NATO held its latest summit in Vilnius. Here leaders made decisions and set out NATO’s strategic direction for the near and longer-term future.
“We have just concluded an historic NATO Summit. Over the past two days, we took major decisions to adapt our Alliance for the future. We agreed NATO’s most detailed and robust defence plans since the Cold War. We strengthened our commitment to defence investment. We agreed to bring Ukraine closer to the Alliance and step up support for the long haul. And we deepened our partnerships around the world even more”, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General.
The Summit came with pledges of long-term support to Ukraine, a decision by Turkey to lift its veto on Sweden joining the Alliance (which will now require national ratification), and an increased focus on China in seeing how its ambitions may challenge NATO’s interests, security and values. NATO’s greatest strength is the spirit of solidarity and cohesion that it fosters amongst its Members. And with its continued relevance and enlargement it will continue to play an important role in the borderlands of Europe and more widely. …………………………………………………………………………………………………
Jessica is a project manager at Rose Regeneration and a senior research fellow at The National Centre for Rural Health and Care (NCRHC). She is currently evaluating hospital discharge and hospital avoidance schemes, and a service that supports older people to maintain their independence. Jessica also sits on the board of a Housing Association that supports older people and a charity supporting Cambridgeshire’s rural communities.
She can be contacted by email jessica.sellick@roseregeneration.co.uk.
Website: http://roseregeneration.co.uk/https://www.ncrhc.org/
Blog: http://ruralwords.co.uk/
Twitter: @RoseRegen